Bike
Need a refresher? Here’s our essential reminder of all the best bits from last season.
Men’s Recap: Gwin at all costs
American Aaron Gwin won at the opening round in Lourdes from deep in the pack after crashing during qualifying. He went on take the title with four out of a possible seven wins. Notably, he closed it out with victories in the final two rounds in Windham and Val di Sole.
Loïc Bruni's was in many ways the story of the year however; no fewer than four second place finishes for the Frenchman finally came together at the World Champs in Andorra where he took the stripes.
As with just about every other season this century, it's worth mentioning that Greg Minnaar had (yet another) good year. Wins in Fort William and Lenzerheide saw him claim his position as the most successful male UCI World Cup DH racer ever. His team-mate Josh Bryceland's win in Mont-Sainte-Anne after an early season spent recovering from injury proved that The Rat still has his teeth too.
Stand-out result: Aaron Gwin winning in Leogang. Without a chain.
Stand-out moment: Bruni's World Champs win confirming him as one of the very best, already.
Women’s Recap: Total domination
Rachel Atherton came second to Emmeline Ragot in Lourdes, after that she couldn't stop winning. Atherton rode on a completely different level to the rest of the field. Her big rival from 2014, Manon Carpenter, seemed out of sorts though and it'll be interesting to see what she brings with her to Lourdes next weekend.
Fast Frenchwoman, Myriam Nicole, is already out of the opening rounds due to breaking a shoulder.
Stand-out result: Rachel Atherton wins in Fort William in front of a raucous home crowd.
Stand-out moment: Emmeline Ragot plunges from the Mont-Sainte-Anne drop and suffers an injury which will subsequently see her announce her retirement.
Race winners 2015
Venue Men Women
Rd.1 Lourdes A.Gwin M.Ragot Rd.2 Fort William G.Minnaar R.Atherton Rd.3 Leogang A.Gwin R.Atherton Rd.4 Lenzerheide G.Minnaar R.Atherton Rd.5 Mont-Sainte-Anne J.Bryceland R.Atherton Rd.6 Windham A.Gwin R.Atherton Rd.7 Val di Sole A.Gwin R.Atherton
Claudio’s Best Bits from 2015
If the UCI World Cup was literally (as opposed to just figuratively) a travelling circus then the Gstaadt-Scott team manager, Claudio Caluori, would undoubtedly be the human cannonball.
Where the racers get a chance to practice and really consider their lines, Claudio often only has a tight window in which to huck his meat down the track. Add to this the need to talk (and occasionally sing) throughout his runs and it's probably unsurprising that chaos often ensues when Claudio's on course.
Check out the video below for his choice ‘moments’ of 2015
Whet your appetite?! Don't forget that you can watch all the racing from the opening round of the UCI World Cup season LIVE RIGHT HERE on April 10.
